Fly-tipping- Liberal Democrat call sparks row with Labour

Opposition Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Cllr Paula Widdowson said legal routes for getting rid of household waste were being blocked off amid a rise in fly-tipping.

Cllr Andrew Waller, Liberal Democrat ward member for Westfield, said his party’s proposal for community skips would help households without cars to dispose of rubbish.

City of York Council’s Labour environment spokesperson Cllr Jenny Kent said York had one of the lowest levels of fly-tipping in Yorkshire and recently-created Neighbourhood Caretakers were already bringing positive results.

It comes as council figures showed there had been 2,807 incidents of fly-tipping reported in York in the nine months since April last year.

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The figure compares to 2,954 in the year up to the end of March 2025, 2,500 in 2023/4 and 2,368 in 2022/3.

The Liberal Democrats put forward proposals for community skips for people to throw away their household waste in areas where fly-tipping is an issue in their alternative budget proposals.

Proposals to spend £52,000 on the skips tabled along with other Liberal Democrat budget amendments were voted down on Thursday, February 12.

The council’s ruling Labour group’s budget for 2026/7 which was voted through included an extra £90,000 for Neighbourhood Caretakers which launched in September.

The council team responds to issues including fly-tipping following in response to reports from residents and councillors.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Widdowson said the rise in fly-tipping also came as fees for the council’s Garden Waste Subscription Service had risen to £52.

The opposition’s deputy leader and environment spokesperson said: “For many residents, particularly those without cars, older residents, or people on low incomes, getting rid of waste has become much more difficult and when legal routes are blocked off, fly-tipping goes up.

“Community skips are a targeted response, put them in the places that are worst affected, give people a legal, accessible way to dispose of waste, and you reduce fly-tipping, clean up neighbourhoods, and save money in the long run.”

Westfield’s Cllr Waller said ‘tidy-up vans ‘ were also used to help residents clean up waste when his party ran the council with the Greens.

The Liberal Democrat said: “These initiatives are particularly beneficial for areas with low car ownership.

“The funding for community skips would have supported the reinstatement of this initiative, so it’s disappointing that Labour voted it down.”

York Council’s Labour Environment Executive Member Cllr Jenny Kent (second, left) with Neighbourhood Caretakers. Picture is from York Council

Labour’s environment executive member said the Liberal Democrats had not opposed hikes in green waste charges in the budget meeting.

The Liberal Democrats proposed spending £100,000 to discount some of the charges.

Cllr Kent said: “The Liberal Democrats have shown in their budget proposals that they support the green waste collection charge and has no intention of reversing it, so their criticism is hypocritical at best.

“While any fly-tipping is too much, York has one of the lowest levels of fly-tipping in Yorkshire.

“The council’s waste team do a great job, responding quickly to incidents such that at the end of 2025, only two live reports required clear ups.

“With the launch of a new Neighbourhood Caretakers team last year, Labour is cleaning up our neighbourhoods and residents are already seeing the positive results.”